Brit arrested for Lizard Squad attacks on PSN and Xbox Live, also accused of 'swatting'

UK police have arrested a man alleged to be a member of Lizard Squad and part responsible for the hacking attacks that took down PlayStation Network and Xbox Live over Christmas. In addition, the man has been accused of taking part in "swatting", the act of sending US police to respond to a fake threat at addresses of people chatting online to see their reaction.

Cyber crime officers of the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) have been working closely with the FBI in the States on an on-going operation to identify and arrest members of Lizard Squad, with the 18-year-old man from Southport being the police's most significant capture yet.

"This investigation is a good example of joint law enforcement cooperation in relation to a type of criminality that is not restricted by any geographical boundaries," said Craig Jones, head of the Cyber Crime Unit at SEROCU.

"We are still at the early stages of the investigation and there is still much work to be done. We will continue to work closely with the FBI to identify those to who commit offences and hold them to account.

"We are pursuing cyber criminals using the latest technology and working with businesses and academia to further develop specialist investigative capabilities to protect and reduce the risk to the public."